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All aboard: Family cruising to India

Celebrity Cruises introduced itineraries to India from its new homeport Abu Dhabi last year. Jo Kessel sets sail with her husband and three kids to discover how family friendly a cruise to the south Asian country can be

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Jo Kessel sets sail with her brood to discover how family friendly a cruise to India can be

My family of five are squished into an Indian taxi. By “taxi” I mean an auto-rickshaw (a motorised three-wheeler) which is barely big enough for two. No sooner than we’re on the move, we – or at least I – wish we weren’t. Our driver weaves in and out of oncoming traffic like he’s playing a video game as opposed to driving on an actual road. While I can barely watch, my children whoop with glee every time we avert disaster.

 

Enjoyable or not, this rickshaw ride represents the type of cultural experience I’d sought by coming to India… alongside the sight of sacred cows roaming streets and women riding mopeds side-saddle in saris. Travel guides warn that India can feel “overwhelming” and because I wasn’t sure how my children would react – 14-year-old twins Nathalie and Gabriel and Hannah who’s 11 – we opted for a cruise instead of a two-week package deal to somewhere like Goa.

 

Celebrity introduced India and Arabian Sea cruises last year on Celebrity Constellation from the line’s new homeport Abu Dhabi. We join one of her first roundtrip voyages to Goa as well as a trio of other southern Indian ports.

 

It doesn’t take long for us to fall in love with Constellation. Carrying 2,000 passengers, it’s the perfect size – big enough to have all the mod cons (pools, kids’ clubs and fully equipped gym) without feeling crowded, but not so big that it feels impersonal. Waiters and bartenders learn our names so fast that Nathalie says: “I feel like a celebrity on this ship!”

 

We have two adjacent balcony staterooms (one for mum and dad, the other for the brood) but clients might prefer one of the five-berth family cabins, which have massive verandas. Be warned, they’re popular and sell out early! Blackout curtains actually work and mattresses on the ship are new and heavenly. I’ve never slept so well despite jet lag.

 

 

Onboard options

Onboard options

It takes three days to reach Indian soil from Abu Dhabi, during which time we dip in the pool, explore the kids’ clubs and I occasionally swap my sun bed for a line-dancing class. Three-course feasts in the San Marco restaurant become our nightly treat (think crab cakes, roasted leg of lamb, apple tarte tatin) followed by a show in a theatre that wows Hannah. “It’s gorgeous.” She’s right. Velvet seats are banquet-style with tables to put your drink on and entertainment ranges from musical extravaganzas to magicians.

 

Constellation and its guests are refreshingly relaxed (formal nights have been replaced with “evening chic” much to the delight of my black-tie averse husband Marc) and we make friends easily.

 

There’s a real age spread onboard, with lots of families (many multi-generational) as well as couples aged anything from 20 to 80. There’s a constant buzz about the fact that we’re travelling to India and seeing something so different.

 

Which is why, by the time we’re in that auto-rickshaw taxi, we’re raring to go. The port is Mangalore and the driver drops us at Panambur beach. Again, it’s exactly what I’d hoped for. Not only is the curve of unblemished sand deep and golden, it’s also authentically Indian. We’re the only Westerners on a beach packed with locals.

 

Spicing it up

Spicing it up

Each stop in India brings fresh adventures. In Goa we visit a Hindu temple and a spice plantation where we see vanilla, chillies and cinnamon growing on trees.

 

In Mumbai we enjoy an excursion called Mumbai on the Move, which is both hectic and thrilling. We witness dabbawallahs delivering home-cooked lunches to downtown offices; we see vast open-air laundries; we board a packed, doorless train, which takes us to the suburbs; and visit the Ghandi museum. “Mumbai is surreal,” says Gabriel afterwards.

 

Our favourite stop, however, is Cochin. We’re punted in an open canoe along the region’s famed scenic backwaters, waving at the riverbanks’ inhabitants as we glide past their humble homes and a treasure trove of fruiting trees: mangos, papayas, nutmegs, you name it. Despite my trio’s claims not to like curry, when the canoe owner invites us into his home for lunch and dishes up rice, dahl, poppadoms and chutneys on a plantain leaf, they wolf it down.

 

We’re away for Christmas and New Year and despite the heat (28C) Constellation feels festive with bauble-decorated trees, carols, a visit from Santa and gingerbread-house displays. And the Christmas dinner that night is scrumptious: turkey, sage stuffing, candied sweet potatoes and giblet gravy.

Worth the hassle

Worth the hassle

There’s a lot of red tape when travelling to India – guests must obtain visas before arriving and immigration in Indian ports slows down disembarkation. As we head back towards the Middle East I catch up with Constellation’s destination concierge, Marco Perez, and cruise vacations manager, Chandru Advani, who explain why Celebrity sails to India, despite the “hassle”.

 

“It’s such an enigmatic, fascinating destination and our clients are constantly seeking new options. It started selling well immediately and appeals to anyone looking for something adventurous outside of the Caribbean or the Med.”

 

Advani tells me about an add-on they’ve devised as part of Celebrity’s desire to offer cruises that are limitless.

 

“Guests can leave the ship for a couple of days during the cruise to take an escorted trip to the Taj Mahal and back.

 

“In fact, we can customise any itinerary our guests’ desire and that’s proving very popular.”

 

A couple more sea days give us the chance to enjoy Constellation’s quizzes, talks (Nasa’s ex-director delivers a five-part lecture about the programme to date and future of space) as well as specialty French restaurant Ocean Liners. The eatery isn’t cheap, there’s a $45pp surcharge, but the wild forest mushroom cappuccino, lobster tail with Dijon cream, cheeseboard and crepes with balsamic strawberries are exquisite.

 

The next morning my waistband feels so tight that I spend an hour on the gym’s rowing machine – something I’ve never done before, on a ship or otherwise!

Middle Eastern moments

Middle Eastern moments

For clients who want more than “just India”, our voyage includes some Middle Eastern ports too. The first is Muscat, Oman, where the Muttrah souk teems with bags, perfumes, rugs and incense. And the last stop is an overnight in Dubai.

 

Dubai’s commercialisation is a stark contrast to India, but an ascent up the Burj Khalifa is great fun if not giddying, as is our final day, which is spent at Wild Wadi Water Park.

 

While enjoying its gargantuan wave pool and rides ominously named Jumeirah Scierah (which is scary) and Burj Surj, we realise we’ve come full circle and that this is the watery equivalent of our Indian rickshaw ride. It’s a fitting end to a fortnight packed with more thrills and adventures than we’ve ever experienced on a holiday, which was the perfect introduction to India.

 

Book it: Celebrity Cruises offers a 14-night full-board Arabian Sea and India fly-cruise from £2,889pp including flights and transfers (or from £1,790 for children sharing a cabin with two adults). Price based on a December 19, 2017 departure.

The Taj Mahal & Agra Fort three-day adventure costs from £1,600pp. Price includes flights to Delhi, guided visits to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and two nights’ half-board accommodation.

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